On Jul 10, 12:55*am, (Way Back Jack) wrote
disparagingly and at length about Pres. Obama.

I suppose when someone starts off with a point of view to denigrate
your incumbent president (Obama) it then becomes the task to try and
point out as negatively as possible anything/everything about the USA
your current administration is trying to repair!

The foregoing article however manages to point out rather clearly so
many of the things that previously were done wrong and badly during
previous administrations. Whether it was falsely started wars (Iran,
Afghanistan) or poor financial industry controls that led to the
credit crisis, sour debts and scandals such as Enron, Madeoff etc.
Limitation of civil freedoms? Poor USA!!!!!

Obama has inherited quite a mess (and that's an understatement) from
his predecessors!

The thought of the USA looking back fondly or thinking it was
successful during an era when it was "Shoot first" and worry about the
consequences afterwards; or a "Let's Nuke em" attitude, hasn't
worked!

And don't let's pretend the Viet Nam war was a success! In fact it's
doubtful if the USA has won any of the wars it has itself started?

Obama comes across as a realist; often telling it like it really is.
With doses of realism; not airy-fairy images of the way it used to be!
Maybe some don't like the truth?

It also appears the USA has not, for a long time, realised that it is
not and will not always be, 'The only game in town (the world)'.

What the US still does have is some (supposed) fundamental values
about hard work, family values, home ownership and place in community
etc. Although social and financial ethics have taken quite a beating.
But the USA or it's individual states does not back this up with good
social programmes and public care. And forget any of the forced
extremist Christianity cults; they are just as biased and intolerant
(and possibly dangerous when leaders think they are going on a
crusade!) as any other extreme religious format. Keep religion out of
government for God's sake (pun intended!).

How many US millions is it that don't have medical/drug care? Much
smaller (sometimes with less than the tenth of the US population) and
therefore smaller resourced countries have much better systems (some
would call them 'socialist' as though that were a bad word!) and do
much better job of providing incentives for a healthier and more
productive population.

Also there is still something of a dog-eat-dog attitude although most
individual Americans are sensible helpful people! Maybe a sort of "If
I have the biggest/fastest gun I have every right to shoot the last
deer/elk/moose/bear etc.". How the West was won; i.e. stolen from the
Aboriginals and from Mexico!

Maybe some serious navel gazing is in order? That marvellous
expression from some US president, "Walk softly but carry a big stick"
comes to mind.

Good luck to all from somewhere else in the world!